


Family

by Skylar0Grace



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-04
Updated: 2010-02-04
Packaged: 2017-11-29 17:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/689439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar0Grace/pseuds/Skylar0Grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>History often repeats itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Surprise (Sam)

**Author's Note:**

> Response to a challenge set by [](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/)**lightthesparks**  .

* * *

Sam breathed in the familiar smell of the Roadhouse as his eyes adjusted to the light and smiled. This place was as close to home as he was going to get again and he moved quickly inside and sat himself at the bar. The stools on either side of him were occupied almost immediately and he saw Ellen walk out from the kitchen with a grin on her face.

  
“I take it the sucker’s gone?”  
  
Bobby laughed beside him. “Yep, you shoulda seen Sam. Took a runnin’ leap at it an’ fired point blank. It was like somthin’ outta a movie.”  
  
Bobby slapped him on the back and he turned to see the big grin on Dean’s face. “Yeah,” he told Ellen, “Sammy was really on the ball tonight.”  
  
Sam willed his cheeks not to blush as Ellen smiled back at the three of them and she moved quickly to the taps.  
  
“First round’s on me then!”  
  
She filled three glasses to the top with beer and placed them in front of the men. Bobby glanced over his shoulder before looking back at Ellen with an inquisitive glance.  
  
“Where’s Jo?”  
  
Ellen rolled her eyes and leaned on the bar. “Out back cleanin’ dishes. Caught her doin’ more research on another case and grounded her.”  
  
Ellen gave both him and Dean pointed glances and this time Sam couldn’t help the red from creeping up his neck. They’d met the Harvelle’s a couple of months back when Sam had met Jo on the internet. She was doing some research for a case she was working on and Sam had helped her out. He and Dean had even driven down to help her out with it when Ellen had come storming down to pick up her only daughter and drag her back home. Dean and Sam had finished off the case and then headed to the Roadhouse to apologise.  
  
Turns out their Dad was a regular visitor here and even though he was still AWOL, they still stopped in from time to time to find out if Ellen had any leads on him. They’d just wrapped up a big case in Cedarville that they’d needed Bobby’s help on and were surprised when he suggested the Roadhouse; seemed like every Hunter and his rifle stopped through there once in a while and if anyone was gonna hear about their Dad first, it was Ellen Harvelle.  
  
“Remember that time in Tulsa when the spirit of that old guy scared you and you went running back screaming to the Impala?”  
  
Sam looked over at Dean and frowned. “Dude, I was nine and I was not screaming.”  
  
Dean smiled and ignored the statement. “You’ve come a long way since then. I’m proud of you Sammy.”  
  
Sam smiled at the rare compliment, even if the moment was ruined by Dean ruffling up his hair. However the grin returned moments later when a hand reached out from behind him and slapped him on the shoulder. Sam turned around and grinned at Bobby before looking back at Ellen.  
  
“I haven’t heard much ‘bout your Daddy since you were last here but Joe says he spoke with him in Connecticut two weeks ago. John’ll be long gone now but I’ll keep my ears open and let you know if anything else turns up.”  
  
“Thanks Ellen.”  
  
Ellen just smiled in return and filled up their glasses again.  
  
“I figure you boys’ll be looking for some place to crash tonight?” Sam nodded and Ellen pointed over her shoulder. “Well, you know where the back rooms are; beds are already made and if you’re up early enough tomorrow morning, a hot breakfast’ll be waiting.”  
  
Sam could practically feel Dean’s mouth watering at the thought and he rolled his eyes at Ellen. She merely grinned back and walked back into the kitchen. Dean turned towards him grinning.  
  
“So, what do you think--”  
  
The sentence was cut off by the sound of Dean’s mobile ringing and he opened the whole without looking at caller ID, holding up a finger to Sam to ‘hold that thought’. Sam knew that whatever thought had been put on hold was probably going to be embarrassing for him and he ignored his grinning brother as he turned back to his drink and took a large mouthful. He looked up sharply, however, when Dean spoke.  
  
“What?” he heard Dean whisper, almost painfully.  
  
The grinning face of his brother had been replaced by a stricken look and quickly turned to horror as the caller spoke.  
  
“Don’t move,” he ordered.  
  
Dean closed the phone quickly and shoved it back in his pocket, reaching for his keys in the other. The familiar jangle sounded as the kitchen door opened slightly and the head of Ellen popped out. As Dean leapt off the bar stool, she emerged fully and Sam noticed that Dean seemed unaware of her presence. He walked quickly, almost running for the door and Sam stood and grabbed the arm of his distraught brother.  
  
The look of fury Dean returned was more than enough for Sam to let go and Dean pushed open the door of the Roadhouse and left without looking back. Sam walked quickly to the door as the Impala pulled out of the carpark and watched as Dean sped away leaving a cloud of dust behind him.  
  
The only thing that surprised Sam more that day than the hurried departure of his seemingly anguished brother was the arrival of his father mere hours later.


	2. Grief (Dawn)

* * *

Dawn paced the room anxiously as she glanced occasionally at the clock on the wall. The bright red hands moved painfully slow and the fluorescent clock face was making her feel sick. She walked over to the window and glanced outside once more only to turn around in disappointment.

She began pacing the room and when she looked at the clock once more, the fluorescent face seemed to come to life and the printed flames seemed to leap off. Dawn quickly ran toward the bathroom and threw up, the acid burning her throat and tears leaking from her eyes. Dawn crumpled to the floor and placed her head on her knees as sobs wracked her body, reprieve from the grief nowhere in sight.

Strong arms wound their way around her body and Dawn didn’t even need to look up to know who it was. The smell of leather and gunpowder was all too familiar and she fisted his shirt as her body shook. She allowed herself another thirty seconds before sniffing and pulling back to look her brother-in-law in the face.

The devastation was obvious and she stood shakily from the bathroom floor. They walked into the lounge room and he sat beside her on the couch, silent questions filling the room. Dawn drew a deep breath.

“She was ready,” Dawn told him, “She didn’t let Johnny out of her sight all day and she sat by the cot to watch over him.”

* * *

_Dawn woke up suddenly to the sounds of fighting. She leapt out of bed and as she rounded the corner into her nephew’s room, she saw Buffy fighting with a man in a trench coat. His back was to her, but she saw the man’s hand fling out toward her and she was suddenly pinned to the wall in the hallway. Dawn struggled but she couldn’t move and she watched with horror as her sister dodged the feigned blow and was caught by the demon’s hand. He held her by her throat and lifted her from the floor, her toes dangling as she tried to find solid ground._

_He whispered something to her and she looked back to her crying son in his cot. A tear slipped down her face before she locked eyes with Dawn, silently begging her to remember her promise to protect her nephew. Dawn heard screaming and it took her a second to realise it was coming from her. She watched as Buffy was flung against the wall and a deep bloody cut appeared across her stomach, staining her light blue blouse. Her body slid up the wall and out of Dawn’s view as the man turned around._

_The first thing she noticed were his yellow eyes, blazing at her and looking nothing but evil as he walked towards her. He smiled and drew in a deep breath before he raised his eyebrow at her._

_“You’ve got a lot of power, but I’m afraid I’m gonna need a head start, so why don’t you sit a spell, huh?”_

_He disappeared around the corner, slightly limping, and Dawn felt herself being released. She ran straight for the room, looking up at the ceiling and knowing what she’d find. Her sister’s name silently escaped her lips as she looked at the paralysed form of her sister on the ceiling. There was a burst of light and her body began to be swallowed by the flames._

_Dawn quickly grabbed her nephew and the emergency bag that Buffy had packed for him the night before and ran out of the room. Her own bag was waiting by the front door and Dawn grabbed the car keys with the knowledge that everything else she’d need was already waiting in the car._

* * *

Dawn looked over at Dean and saw the tear tracing a path down his wet cheeks.

“I checked him over. I don’t know how she did it, but she stopped him from putting any blood in Johnny’s mouth.”

Dean nodded and stood and Dawn reached out a hand to stop him.

“I’m really sorry. If I hadn’t fallen asleep, maybe...”

She was pulled to her feet and encompassed in a hug from Dean as he kissed the top of her smoky head.

“There was nothing you could have done. You got Johnny out and that’s all she asked you to do.”

“But--”

Dean cut her off. “No! I’m the one who should have been there! It was stupid of me to think that Yellow-Eyes wouldn’t know about you guys and come after you. I thought if I hid you guys then you’d be safe…”

Dean pulled back and looked toward the bedroom of the motel room. He looked back toward her and she nodded, watching as he entered silently to see the sleeping form of his six-month-old son. He reached out a hand and placed it lightly on Johnny’s stomach before he picked him up and cradled him against his chest, just as he’d done the day his son was born.

He looked back to Dawn and she nodded. She packed up the rest of their belongings and walked with her brother-in-law out to the carpark to the waiting Impala. He stood next to the older car as she quickly pulled the car seat and bags from Buffy’s 4WD and watched as he carefully placed his still sleeping son in the Impala. Dean looked back at the 4WD.

“We can’t take it with us.”

Dawn nodded. “Someone from the Council will pick it up in the morning. I called Giles about the house and he’s already sent someone over to sort out the details with the fire brigade and police. He just wants you to call him when we get settled.”

She watched him nod distractedly as he put their bags in the boot and as he closed the lid with as quiet a thump as possible, Dawn wondered if they’d ever be settled. Dean Winchester was a Hunter and while the Slayers had the luxury of being able to spread out and stay in one spot, Hunters had the tougher job of covering all of the little towns that slipped through the cracks. They made sure everyone else was safe and it was because of that that Hunters and Slayers rarely crossed paths.

It was going to be hard to settle Dean down when he knew the things that were out there and that people needed help but she also knew that Dean didn’t want to raise his son on the road. Until he’d met Buffy, it hadn’t even been something he considered but from the moment he fell in love with her sister, a family became a possibility. He didn’t want to make the same mistakes his father had.

Dawn climbed into the Impala and they drove in silence as the dark night wound around them.


	3. Understanding (John)

* * *

John finished off the now warm beer in his hands and placed the glass back on the bar. Ellen was watching him warily from the other side as she replaced some clean glasses and Bobby was sitting next to him, trying to pretend like he was disinterested in the latest turn of events. Bobby knew about the history between the Winchester’s and Harvelle’s and knew about Bill’s death. Bobby had sat with Ellen as she cried about the death of her husband, having been turned away by John. John wasn’t sure if Bobby blamed him or not, but he knew Ellen did and had tried to stay away from her as much as possible.

However, his boys had become friends with Bill’s daughter and he’d had to return. He’d known Dean and Sam were looking for him, had known all along, but a Hunter, Joe, had told him that Ellen had put out ears on behalf of his boys and that had worried him. When the trail on Azazel had gone suspiciously cold, John had feared the worst. The only other time he’d disappeared like that had been just before Jessica had been killed.

Ellen refilled his glass with a small smile and John’s thoughts went straight back to his missing son as he fingered the mobile in his pocket. Sam had told him that Dean had gotten a phone call and left quickly just hours before he’d gotten to the Roadhouse and as the days rolled by, John became more and more anxious. If Azazel could get Dean on his own, he could kill him easily; after all, he really only needed Sam and John was determined that he’d never let that happen.

John looked back at the clock. It had been two and a half days now since Dean had disappeared, turning off his phone and not returning calls. The seconds ticked by slowly and John had once suspected they’d even started ticking backwards. The Roadhouse door opened and he looked up in anticipation.

Sam walked in with Jo, both loaded up with groceries, and his son took one look at his face before his own expectant gaze fell. John watched him walk quickly past the bar and enter the kitchen, Jo following along at a more sedate pace with a look of apology on her face. John didn’t want her sympathy. He wanted to know his eldest son was alright.

“Did you get everything we need?” Ellen asked as Jo walked past her.

Jo paused. “Almost.”

Jo entered the kitchen with Ellen right behind her. John could hear the faint sounds of talking between them but he tuned out. He felt Bobby shift beside him and he glanced sidewards.

“Bobby.”

It was more an acknowledgement than anything else but something that was wholly unnecessary. Bobby turned in his seat and spoke in low tones.

“He’ll be alright.”

John fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Bobby--”

“You don’t know him like you think you do, not anymore. He’s changed, John, he’s changed since you left him.”

John bristled. Tracking down and killing Azazel was his mission. The demon had been taking away bits of his family, destroying it slowly, and if he could kill it, he could save his family. He may not have been the best father, he had made mistakes – many mistakes – but he’d done the best he could. And both Dean and Sam were well equipped now to deal with the things that would try and come after them. That was really all he could offer.

Sam, Ellen and Jo walked back into the bar and the room fell into an awkward silence once more. Sam and Jo moved over to the pool table and the clanking of pool balls were enough of a distraction for the other occupants. Ellen began a catalogue of the bar while Bobby and John sat in silence, each person lost in their own thoughts.

The door to the Roadhouse opened suddenly and two figures entered. John looked up quickly and his heart hammered in his chest as he looked upon the face of his son. Several emotions flooded through him like an open gate; relief, concern but anger coursed its way through him faster than the others and it was this emotion that he was left with. His face set in a hard line.

He stood slowly and missed the look Bobby passed to Ellen, the slight shake of the head that had her retreating back to her previous spot. John began approaching but stopped as his eyes fell on the young woman beside his eldest son. She was young, she couldn’t be any older than Sam and was quite possibly younger. But despite the many different girls that Dean had been with, John doubted she would have been one of them.

That was when he stopped to look back at his son. Both of them looked frazzled and worn but Dean looked grieved. His eyes locked with John’s and John watched as he moved his arm ever so slightly. John spotted the previously unnoticed bundle move and he walked over to it almost in a daze. He pulled back the fluffy dark blue blanket and a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. There was an infant, John guessed about six months old, that turned to look toward him. John saw the familiar hazel eyes and he looked up at Dean. There was a haunted look in his eyes and John knew what had happened. He didn’t need Dean to say anything and he reached out to stroke the cheek of his grandson.

John felt Bobby, Ellen, Jo and Sam approach from behind him and he barely heard the name ‘Dawn’ offered. The baby in his son’s arms snuggled closer into his father and his eyelids fluttered closed, the tiny baby eyelashes sitting softly against his skin. John knew why Dean had kept his family quiet and he also knew now why Azazel had gone off the grid. He’d once again struck out against his family and John took a deep breath.

He looked up at Dean. “What’s his name?”

The room fell silent and all eyes turned toward Dean as he looked his own father in the eye.

“Johnny.”


End file.
